2013 Cycling Thread

[Smallville22]

Reade and Phillips in historic double-double in Manchester

Shanaze Reade did what she failed to do at the London 2012 Olympics at the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup as Britain celebrated an historic double-double in Manchester.
Reade, who finished sixth last summer, got her World Cup campaign off to a perfect start by winning the time trial on Friday with Liam Phillips following suit for the first British double.
And Reade and Phillips were not to be denied in the main event a day later as they completed a British double-double in the first round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup of the season.
Reade took victory ahead of Brooke Crain of the USA and Dutch cyclist Merle van Benthem and insists the start she couldn't produce at the Olympics last summer she did back on home soil in Manchester.
"At the Olympics I wasn't able to put the start together that I wanted in the final but here, putting it all together in a solid lap, I was happy with that," said Reade.
"I believed my start was good enough to win, in training we can look at the times every day, but in the final, when there was the crowd and eight other girls, using that mental strength and putting it all together, that's the biggest thing I'm happy about.
"Even in the time trial, I didn't think about the win. I just thought about completing each part of the track as close to ten-out-of-ten as possible, then I believed the result would take care of itself.
"Even on the start gate I only worried about myself, because if I can do the best I can do, I think that was going to win the race."
Meanwhile Phillips, who finished eighth at London 2012, admitted another victory in front of a home crowd in Manchester was a moment to savour.
"I have ****** down here, it's as much a win for them as it is for me really," he said. "I wanted to get the job done for myself but it's nice to share that moment with everyone else.
"For me it was just a case of doing another lap, as good as I could. I knew from my time trial, if I'm out front it's going to be difficult to pass me. I think the inside was key to this weekend."

 

[Smallville22]

Magical Martin wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege in style

Ireland's Daniel Martin outfoxed Joaquim Rodriguez of Spain to take the biggest win of his career in Sunday's 'Doyenne' of the Classics, Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Garmin-Sharp climber Martin - fourth in La Fleche Wallonne - drew level with Rodriguez on the final rise to the finish in Ans before catching his Katusha rival out with an early sprint before the last bend.
The 26-year-old had time to celebrate in style on the closing straight, crossing the line three seconds ahead of second-place Rodriguez to take the 99th edition of the oldest Monument of the season.
Spain's Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) completed the podium after coming home nine seconds down ahead of Colombian Carlos Betancur (Ag2R-La Mondiale) and Italy's Michele Scarponi (Lampre).
"I can't believe it, I'm really in shock," said Martin. "I've never seen the team ride so strong - they kept me protected all day.
"It felt like one of the easiest races I've ever did. It really is incredible, I'm so happy."
If Martin took the plaudits for a scintillating finale to the last of three of the Ardennes Classics, then praise must go to his Garmin team-mate Ryder Hesjedal whose own solo ****** 15 kilometres from the finish sowed the seeds of victory.
The Canadian Giro d'Italia winner rode clear of a select group of riders on the penultimate climb of the day - the new Cote de Colonster ascent, which had been drafted in by race organisers owing to road works on the traditional Cote de la Roche aux Faucons climb.
Taking advantage of the indecision in his ****, Hesjedal dug deep to open up a 20 second gap ahead of the last of 11 categorised ascents, the Cote de Saint-Nicolas. Hesjedal had been part of a splinter group that had already put the likes of favourites Philippe Gilbert (BMC) and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) on the back foot in the business end of the undulating 261.5km race through Belgium.
Betancur, third in Wednesday's Fleche Wallonne after a devastating ****** on the Mur de Huy, led the pursuit on the Saint-Nicolas, sparking a frenzy amongst the those eyeing the win.
A select group containing Martin, Betancur, Scarponi, Valverde and Rodriguez caught the lone leader with 5km remaining, while world champion Gilbert and Giro del Trentino winner Nibali struggled to join the fray.
Putting his own chances aside, Hesjedal drove the pace on the flat plateau atop the Saint-Nicolas climb to ensure that the winner would come from the leading group.
As the road head uphill towards the finish in Ans, Rodriguez attacked just ahead of the Flamme Rouge. Only Martin could muster the strength to follow and the pair rode ahead with less than 500 metres remaining.
But Martin had the momentum - and the Birmingham-born Irishman made his decisive move ahead of the final bend to take the first one-day Classic victory of his career and his biggest scalp since winning stage 9 of the 2011 Vuelta a Espana.
Gilbert was ****** to settle for seventh place behind Italian Enrico Gasparotto, the Astana rider who finished third last year. Hesjedal crossed the line 18 seconds down in eighth place - and went directly to celebrate with his team-mate Martin after what was a job well done for the American Garmin-Sharp team.
An early break formed after just 4km of the race, with Belgians Bart De Clercq (Lotto Belisol), Frederik Veucheulen (Vacansoleil) and Sander Armee (Topsport), Swiss duo Jonathan Fumeaux and Pirmin Lang (both IAM) and Frenchman Vincent Jerome (Europcar) building up a maximum lead of 14 minutes under cloudy skies and chilly temperatures.
The lead was whittled down to three minutes with 65 kilometres remaining. Armee was the first to fade, the Belgian swept up by the pack with 55km to go. A flurry of attacks came on the infamous Cote de La Redoute, 40km from the finish, with Sky's David Lopez, Lampre's Damiano Cunego, Astana's Jakob Fuglsang and Rui Costa (Movistar) all heavily active as they formed a small chasing group.
The remaining five escapees were reeled in on the famous Cote de Colonster after some hefty work by the BMC team of Gilbert.
Numerous counter attacks came thick and fast - most notably from Spain's Alberto Contador. The Spaniard was one of a handful of riders alongside Sky's Rigoberto Uran and Hesjedal who rode 10 seconds off the front of the hesitant pack.
Sensing an opportunity, Hesjedal rode off the front and laid the foundations for a remarkable tactical coup for Garmin. Martin - the nephew of former Grand Tour great Stephen Roche - kept his side of the deal with an explosive counter ****** on the Cote de Saint-Nicolas before signalling a coming of age of sorts by making a rider of Rodriguez's calibre look ordinary.
It was Ireland's first win in Liege-Bastogne-Liege since Sean Kelly delivered the second of his two 'Doyenne' scalps in 1989.

 

[Smallville22]

Kittel wins Turkey opener

Germany’s Marcel Kittel has won the opening stage of the Tour of Turkey in a bunch sprint.
Argos-Shimano rider Kittel came in ahead of compatriot Andre Greipel of Lotto-Belisol, with veteran Ukrainian Yuri Metluschenko of Konya Torku Seker Spor rounding out the podium.
The stage had been billed as a sprint showdown between Kittel and Greipel after 143km along the coast between Alanya and Gazipasa, and it did not disappoint.
The NetApp-Endura and Blanco teams lead the peloton into the final km, but they were out-muscled by Argos-Shimano and Omega Pharma-Quick Step, who took charge over the final 1000m.
Kittel was well placed and eventually showed too much power as he sped to victory through a gap on the left, while Greipel had just too much to do as he followed him over the line.
Roger Kluge of NetApp-Endura was fourth, with Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s British rider Andrew Fenn fifth.

 

[Smallville22]

Huge crash mars end of stage two in Turkey

Lithuanian Aidis Kruopis won stage two of the Tour of Turkey after a huge crash inside the final kilometre took out most of the leading group.
The Orica-GreenEDGE rider powered past Marco Coledan (Bardiani Valvole-CSF Inox) - who was running on empty - in the final 200 metres.
The Italian held off Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) to snatch second in a photo finish, but the German - who was slowed by the crash - will be consoled by the fact that he takes over the lead of the General Classification on the eight-stage race.
“I feel very good to have won today,” said Kruopis, who felt he deserved a little good fortune. “I had a bit of bad luck with Qatar and Langkawi. I was looking for a victory at both of those races and came up empty. It was especially nice to take the victory today after that.”
The real talking point of the 153km run from Alanya to Antalya was the crash. With Blanco leading the group into the final kilometre, Mark Renshaw seemed to catch the rear wheel of team-mate Graeme Brown, sending him crashing to the ground.
Coming in a narrow funnel ahead of the finishing straight, only a few riders managed to sneak past before several crashed into the unfortunate Blanco riders to grind the vast majority of the lead group to a halt with nowhere to go.
Barriers all along the funnel were knocked over as riders swerved into them, with one bike vaulting high over them and landing several metres outside the course.
"The sprint was very dangerous,” added Kruopis. “Leigh helped me a lot. There was a big crash, and after the big crash, I managed to come through with five guys ahead of me. I basically started right after the crash happened, and I ****** all the guys before me to take the win."
Greipel leads stage one winner Marcel Kittel of Argos-Shimano and Kruopis overall - all with the same time - with Coledan four seconds back in fourth.

 

[Smallville22]

Bouhanni to lead FDJ at Giro

Nacer Bouhanni will share FDJ's leadership at this year's Giro d'Italia as the sprinter makes his debut in the race.
The French national champion will be the protected sprinter for FDJ, who he will lead alongside general classification outsider Arnold Jeannesson and veteran Sandy Casar.
The 23-year-old will get the chance to compete with the likes of Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step), Matt Goss (Orica-GreenEdge), John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) and Francesco Chicchi (Vini Fantini-Sella Italia) at the race, which starts on May 4.
"It'd be good if he won this time, the Giro sprints suit him," FDJ manager Marc Madiot told AFP.
Bouhanni already has four wins to his name this season: the Val d'Ille U Classic 35 and stage wins at the Tour of Oman, Paris-Nice and Circuit de la Sarthe.

FDJ squad for the Giro d'Italia: Murilo Fischer, Anthony Roux, Jussi Veikkanen, Johan Le Bon, Nacer Bouhanni, Sandy Casar, Arnold Jeannesson, Laurent Pichon and Francis Mourey.

 

[Smallville22]

Pozzovivo set for more Giro heroics for AG2R

Domenico Pozzovivo will lead French team AG2R La Mondiale's bid at this year's Giro d'Italia.
The Italian climber was named at the head of a nine-rider squad for the year's first Grand Tour, which kicks off in Naples on May 4.
Pozzovivo claimed victory on stage eight of last year's race, finishing eighth overall, after winning prestigious Giro del Trentino earlier in the season.
Twenty-three teams are expected at this year's three-week race around Italy. AG2R, along with fellow French outfit FDJ, are the first to name their rosters.
AG2R squad for the Giro d'Italia: Davide Appollonio, Manuel Belletti, Julien Bérard, Carlos Betancur, Guillaume Bonnafond, Hubert Dupont, Ben Gastauer, Sylvain Georges and Domenico Pozzovivo.

 

[Smallville22]

Froome looking to follow Wiggins's path in Romandie

Chris Froome will look to emulate Bradley Wiggins and Cadel Evans in this week’s UCI World Tour race, the Tour of Romandie.
Wiggins and Evans have taken victory in the six-day Swiss event in the past two years and gone on to win the Tour de France that year.
With Wiggins preparing for the Giro d’Italia, Froome will lead Team Sky at the event which begins with a 7.45km time trial on Tuesday and ends with an 18.6km stage against the clock on Sunday.
There are no summit finishes but the four road stages feature 13 categorised climbs with Saturday’s queen stage featuring four category-one climbs, including two ascents of the Col de la Croix.
Andrew Talansky and Rui Costa, second and third last year are present as well, while other established Grand Tour riders in the field include Alejandro Valverde, Ryder Hesjedal, Roman Kreuziger and Jurgen Van den Broeck.
Mark Cavendish will look for sprint victories but his chances will be limited by the parcours and Omega Pharma Quick Step also have world time trial champion Tony Martin in their line-up.
Sport Director Brian Holm said. "There is a prologue and a final TT for Tony Martin, and then some mixed stages for the other guys — for example, a stage hunter like Gianni Meersman. It's also a good preparation for the Giro d'Italia.
"If there is a sprint, we have Cavendish who is tuning up his condition for the Giro. We have a balanced team, so I think we can be a protagonist throughout the race. That is our objective, but we will see each day."

Most wins - Riders

3 Stephen Roche IRL 1983, 1984, 1987

2 Ferdi Kübler SUI 1948, 1951

2 Jean Forestier FRA 1954, 1957

2 Louis Rostollan FRA 1960, 1961

2 Vittorio Adorni ITA 1965, 1967

2 Gianni Motta ITA 1966, 1971

2 Pascal Richard SUI 1993, 1994

2 Toni Rominger SUI 1991, 1995

2 Dario Frigo ITA 2001, 2002

2 Tyler Hamilton USA 2003, 2004

2 Cadel Evans AUS 2006, 2011

Most wins - Countries

13 Italy

12 Switzerland

10 France

6 Belgium

5 Netherlands

3 Ireland

3 United States

3 Australia

2 Sweden

2 Spain

1 Norway

1 Russia

1 Colombia

1 Germany

1 Czech Republic

1 Slovenia

1 Great Britain

Last 10 podiums

2012 Bradley Wiggins (GBR) Andrew Talansky (USA) Rui Costa (POR)

2011 Cadel Evans (AUS) Tony Martin (GER) Alexandr Vinokurov (KAZ)

2010 Simon Špilak (SLO) Denis Menchov (RUS) Michael Rogers (AUS)

2009 Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Vladimir Karpets (RUS) Rein Taaramäe (EST)

2008 Andreas Klöden (GER) Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Marco Pinotti (ITA)

2007 Thomas Dekker (NED) Paolo Savoldelli (ITA) Andrey Kashechkin (KAZ)

2006 Cadel Evans (AUS) Alberto Contador (ESP) Alejandro Valverde (ESP)

2005 Santiago Botero (COL) Damiano Cunego (ITA) Denis Menchov (RUS)

2004 Tyler Hamilton (USA) Fabian Jeker (SUI) Leonardo Piepoli (ITA)

2003 Tyler Hamilton (USA) Laurent Dufaux (SUI) Fabian Jeker (SUI)

 

[Smallville22]

Berhane takes maiden professional win in Turkey

Europcar's Natnael Berhane won stage three of the Tour of Turkey.
The Eritrean neo-pro Antalya came home alone at the end of a 152km stage that concluded with the 10km category-one climb to the top of the Göğübeli Pass.
Berhane finished six second ahead of Kevin Seeldraeyers (Astana) and Mutafa Sayar (Torku Sekerspor) and that order is replicated on GC with Seeldraeyers 10 seconds back and Sayar a further two seconds adrift.
“It’s the biggest stage at the Tour of Turkey and it’s magnificent to win,” Berhane said.
Clément Koretzky (Bretagne-Séché), Jaroslav Marycz (CCC Polsat Polkowice), Björn Thurau (Europcar), Mauro Finetto (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia) and Sergiy Gretchyn (Torku Seker Spor) escaped on the first climb of the day to Kepez.
Their maximum lead of 4:45 was cut down and the escape group split with eventually Thurau going clear alone with 10km to go.
Serge Pauwels (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) made an early ****** out of the peloton on the finishing climb but was overtaken by Seeldraeyers and Berhane who were joined by Sayar and Maxime Mederel (Sojasun) to form a lead group of four riders with around 3km left.
Berhane made a succession of attacks and inside the final few hundred meters, the 22-year-old went clear to claim his first professional victory.
The eight-day race concludes on Sunday.

 

[Smallville22]

Froome wins Tour of Romandie prologue

Chris Froome won the 7.45km prologue at the Tour de Romandie with a time of 13:15.
The trial, which marked the start of the 67th edition of the UCI World Tour race, had a strong field, which included Grand Tour riders Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp), Roman Kreuziger (Team Saxo-Tinkoff) and Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol).
As last year’s winner and team-mate Bradley Wiggins was absent, Froome started the prologue last as he attempts to emulate the two previous winners of the six-day event, Wiggins and Cadel Evans, who went on to win the Tour de France that year.
Froome’s time of 13:15 edged out Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp), who finished six seconds down while Robert Kiserlovski (RadioShack-Leopard) completed the top three a further seven seconds behind.
Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) held the initial lead with a time of 13:32 and eventually finished 6th while Froome's Sky team-mate Richie Porte ended the tough opening test in fourth with a time of 13:30.
Froome, who hadn’t raced in a stage race for a month since Criterium International, said: “I wasn’t sure how my condition would be coming into this race. Winning the prologue today is definitely a good sign and I’d like to try and defend the jersey this week the best I can.
"I know it’s going to be a very hard week of racing."
Before adding: “We have a really good team here. Richie who came fourth today is also sitting in a very good position.
"That could be really important for us over the next few days as it means we have some other cards to play with the rest of the riders here to support us. It should be a good week of racing.”

Stage result:

1. Chris Froome (Team Sky) 13:15"

2. Andrew Talansky (Garmin) +6"

3. Robert Kiserlovski (RadioShack) +13"

4. Richie Porte (Team Sky) +15"

5. Rui Costa (Movistar) +16"

6. Thibaut Pinot (FDJ) +17"

7. Stef Clement (Blanco) +17"

8. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) +17"

9. Tom Danielson (Garmin) +17"

10. Wilco Kelderman (Blanco) +18"

 

[Smallville22]

Verdict from Operation Puerto trial due on April 30

A verdict in the Operation Puerto trial about doping in cycling will be published on April 30.
Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and four other defendants gave evidence in Madrid earlier this year, after a police operation which came to light in 2006 when anabolic steroids, transfusion equipment and ***** bags were seized in raids.
The proceedings have attracted international attention because some of Fuentes's clients were successful professional riders, including American Tyler Hamilton who gave evidence in February.
Anti-doping authorities, who were represented in court, hope the trial will lead to evidence being made available of wrongdoing by athletes in sports other than cycling.
Fuentes, who denies doping, said in his opening testimony he also had clients in sports including soccer, tennis, athletics and boxing.
The judge is also expected to announce whether she will grant a World Anti-Doping Agency request for access to the ***** bags.
Spain is hopeful the trial will help to dispel the impression that the nation is soft on doping and boost Madrid's bid to win the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
The country is pushing through parliament anti-doping legislation which the government says will bring Spain into line with international norms.

 

[Smallville22]

Greipel sprints to stage four win in Turkey

Andre Greipel stormed through to win stage four of the Tour of Turkey after a frenetic sprint to the finish.
The German of Lotto Belisol beat Niklas Arndt (Argos-Shimano), Moreno Hofland (Blanco) and Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) to the line.
In the process, Greipel extended his lead in the points competition following the 164km route from Gocek to Marmaris.
Natnael Berhane of Team Europcar retains the overall race lead, 10 seconds in front of Kevin Seeldraeyers of Astana, after finishing in the 38-man lead group.
"I'm happy for my team and form my ****** at home,” Greipel said, before dedicating the victory to his grandmother.
“Even though my grandmother died, I said I'd stay at the race and win a stage for her. I'm happy I did that and that my ****** supported me," he added.
An early break featuring Michael Hepburn (Orica-GreenEdge), Mikhail Ignatyev and Timofey Kritskiy (Katusha), Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Adrian Kurek and Nikolay Mihaylov (CCC Polsat-Polkowice), Gerald Ciolek (MTN-Qhubeka), Anthony Delaplace (Sojasun), Pier Paolo De Negri (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia), Adam Hansen (Lotto-Belisol), Sergiy Gretchyn (Torku Seker Spor) and Renaud Dion (Bretagne-Séché) opened up a 2:30 minute lead.
But that advantage was whittled down on the sole climb on the route, a category two ascent after 50km.
The escape group stated to dismantle with Delaplace attacking with 50km to go, he was then joined by Ignatiev who shortly went ahead alone before the peloton reeled him back in with 20km to go.
A series of attacks were foiled in the closing stages to allow the German powerhouse to claim his sixth win of the year after finishing second and third earlier in this race.
Stage five sees the riders negotiate the 182km route from Marmaris to Bodrum on Thursday.

 

[Smallville22]

Meersman takes Romandie sprint

Gianni Meersman won stage one of the Tour of Romandie in a bunch sprint finish in Renens/Ouest Lausannois.
The Belgian from Omega Pharma Quick Step beat Giacomo Nizzolo (Radioshack-Leopard) and Roberto Ferrari (Lampre-Merida) to the line at the end of the 176.4km trek from Saint-Maurice.
It was Meersman's third World Tour victory of the season after winning two stages at the Volta a Cataluyna while Chris Froome retains the overall lead after finishing safely in the peloton.
The British rider from Team Sky won Tuesday's opening prologue in the six-day Swiss event to hold a six-second lead on GC.
There was an early ****** by Julien Bérard (Ag2r-La Mondiale), Gari Bravo (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and David Veilleux (Europcar). They opened up a maximum lead of 4:45 as the riders crossed two third category climbs at Chatel-St-Denis and Martherenges.
That lead was whittled down and they were caught on the 1174m Col du Mollendruz inside the final 40km.
Matthias Brandle went away as the peloton tackled a steep descent back into Lausanne and was joined by Jeremy Roy. They lead by 28 seconds with 10km to go but the sprinters' teams worked to bring back the escapees to set up a bunch sprint finish.
Mark Cavendish was not spotted in the bunch going into the final kilometres because of a mechanical at the bottom of the last category two climb so it was left to his 27-year-old team-mate to take the victory, storming away after the BMC lead-out team failed to maintain momentum.
"It was a difficult stage," Meersman said. "The team worked perfectly. It was hard in the final, at 500 meters to go I had to brake. But then I found my good legs and saw a way to the victory.
"The goal today, if Mark Cavendish was still there after the last climb, was to go for him. If not, it would be a final for me. Unfortunately Mark had a mechanical and at that point we went for me.
"I was a little bit closed at 400 meters to go, but I managed to stay in the front. Peter Velits brought me to the wheel of Matthew Goss (Orica Green-EDGE) but when I saw the possibility to pass in the chaotic sprint I didn't wait. I decided to go by myself and not to wait for someone else to launch.
"I did my sprint and if they ****** me, no problem, but if not I could win. I'm in good condition if I can win a sprint like that, against riders such as Goss and others. My goal is to possibly go for another stage tomorrow or the day after. You never know."

 

[Smallville22]

Wiggins' support cast revealed

Bradley Wiggins will head Team Sky's bid for the Giro d’Italia after the team announced a strong nine-man team.
The Tour de France champion will look to add another Grand Tour to his palmarès in the event which runs from May 4 to May 26 and will be supported by Dario Cataldo, Sergio Henao, Christian Knees, Danny Pate, Salvatore Puccio, Kanstantsin Siutsou, Rigoberto Urán and Xabier Zandio.
Wiggins has some strong lieutenants in the mountains with Sergio Henao ninth overall last year and Dario Cataldo having finished 12th in 2011 and 2012 and also with a mountain-top victory at the Vuelta a Espana to boast.
Henao's fellow Colombian Rigoberto Urán, who was seventh overall last year and took the young rider’s jersey, is expected to be the strongest aid for the Briton as he tackles four mountain stages in the final eight days.
Workhorses Knees and Siutsou were part of Team Sky's successful line-up at the 2012 Tour de France with the team completed by experienced American Pate and Grand Tour debutant Puccio.
Confirming the line-up, team principal Dave Brailsford said: “We’ve had a good run into the Giro, have a strong squad and the preparation has gone well. The final touches have been put in place after the Giro del Trentino and we’re all set to go.
“It’s well-documented that the Giro has been a season goal for Bradley. With that in mind we want to get the best performance possible and try to win the race. If you work back from there you need support in the mountains and a strong nucleus of the team who can work hard.
“We’ve got quality climbing support and some really big engines too. There’s also the team time trial to think about and we’ve got a very strong squad.”
Wiggins, a keen cycling historian, has not hidden his desire to add the Maglia Rosa to his yellow jersey and collection of Olympic medals.
Wiggins added: “Alongside the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix the Giro d’Italia is one of the biggest bike races in the world and one I’d love to win.
"I’ve watched the Giro since I was a *** and have seen my idols win it, which makes it even more special. It has always been a race that I’ve wanted to ride well in and I just can’t wait to get started.
“I believe the Giro team this year is just as strong as the Tour de France team last year and the results prove that everyone is ready to go.”

 

[Smallville22]

Greipel wins again in Turkey

German Andre Greipel sprinted to his second win in a row at the Tour of Turkey on stage five in Bodrum.
The Lotto Belisol rider accelerated away from Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Niklas Arndt (Argos-Shimano) after a 182km run from Marmaris.
Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) had looked for a solo win late on but was reeled in on the final straight.
Natnael Berhane (Europcar) keeps the lead in the General Classification, 10 seconds clear of Kevin Seeldraeyers (Astana) with Mustafa Sayar (Torku Sekerspor) third at 12 seconds.
An early break featuring Christopher Juul-Jensen (Saxo Bank), Sebastien Duret (Bretagne), Guillaume Levarlet (Cofidis), Robinson Chalapud (Colombia), Marc de Maar (United Healthcare), Nazim Bakirci (Torku Sekerspor), Maxim Belkov (Katusha) and Angelo Pagani (Torku Sekerspor) opened up a 4:10 minute lead.
All except Belkov were reeled in by the peloton with 20km to go.
Belkov was reeled in with 8km remaining and Andrey Kashechkin (Astana) and Andreas Schillinger (NetApp) attacked on the final climb before Filippo Pozzato (Lampre-Merida) broke away on the straight but Greipel had enough to win a second stage in a row.

 

[Smallville22]

Tygart: UCI failed to act after Armstrong scandal

US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) president Travis Tygart accused the International Cycling Union (UCI) on Thursday of failing in its promise to deal with the consequences of the Lance Armstrong scandal.
Speaking before a French Senate investigation committee on doping, Tygart, the man behind Armstrong's fall, said the governing body had taken no action after the cyclist was ****** for life for doping his way to seven Tour de France titles.
"It is unacceptable for the UCI to have accepted our reasoned decision, publicly announced that 'decisive action was needed' and simply have done nothing," Tygart said in a 15-minute speech.
The USADA CEO reminded committee members that the UCI had said that only "a transparent and decisive examination of the past would answer the critics".
"Well, the only decisive action came a few weeks later when UCI disbanded the established independent commission when it actually started to act independently by taking off the handcuffs and removing the blindfolds that the UCI had placed on it from the onset," he said.
On Jan. 28, the UCI disbanded the Independent Commission which was investigating the Armstrong affair in favour of a Truth and Reconciliation process -- which has yet to start.
"The UCI's current strategy is to play a stall game, let the cycling season start, let another Tour de France occur, let another six months go by and people will forget," said Tygart.
"Stall or delay yourself out of the problem."
UCI president Pat McQuaid had described Tyler Hamilton and Floyd Landis, who testified against Armstrong, as "scumbags" after the UCI had ratified the USADA's decision to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour titles last October.
"It sends a strong and frightening message to others: you'd better not come forward," Tygart said.
It is time for those who love the sport to finally know the whole truth, Tygart added.
"But for clean athletes and those who share the Olympic values, now is the time for the truth," he said.
"We cannot wait any longer if we mean what we say by Olympic values, about clean play, fair play. The UCI must follow through on what they announced: decisive action."

 

[Smallville22]

Froome retains lead as Navardauskas takes Romandie sprint

Ramunas Navardauskas won stage two of the Tour de Romandie in Granges in a bunch sprint as Chris Froome maintained his overall lead.
The Lithuanian beat Enrico Gasparotto (Astana) and Gianni Meersman (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) to the line at the end of the 190km stage from Prilly to Granges.
Froome finished amonst the front group, in the same time and kept the overall race lead but had came under ****** on the late climb of the stage.
The Brit leads Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) by six seconds.
The Tour de Romandie continues Friday with the 181km stage three circuit race around Payerne.
The escapees of Markus Burghardt (BMC Racing), Matthias Brandle (IAM Cycling), and Johnny Hoogerland (Vacansoleil) – who had at one point opened up a 4:30 minute lead - were reeled back by a Sky-led peloton with 25km to go.
Robert Kiserlovski (RadioShack-Leopard), José Rujano (Vacansoleil-DCM), Steve Morabito (BMC Racing) and Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) attacked as they crossed the summit of the final ascent - the category three Plagne - but a Froome-led peloton reeled them in on the descent.
Froome’s team-mate Richie Porte then drew back Robert Gesink (Blanco) and Steve Morabito (BMC Racing) with 11km to go as the attacks continued.
Chris Anker Sørensen (Saxo-Tinkoff), Mikel Astarloza (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Cameron Wurf (Cannondale) and Alexandr Dyachenko (Astana) had a 15-second advantage with 4km to go but with 1.6km to go they were all together.
Steve Morabito (BMC Racing) attacked to lead team-mate Dominik Nerz around the final bend but Navardauskas launched a surprise ****** to take the stage in a bunch sprint.

 

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UCI go on ****** after USADA accusations

Cycling's world governing body hit back at the US Anti-Doping Agency after being accused by USADA president Travis Tygart of failing to deal with the consequences of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal.
Armstrong was ****** for life and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the International Cycling Union in October after USADA found that he had taken performance enhancing ***** throughout his career.
The USADA report into Armstrong's doping also alleged that the UCI had not done everything in their power to catch the former rider, who later admitted to cheating.
The UCI pledged to look into the past and set up an independent commission to investigate the allegations, only to disband it weeks later in favour of a broader "truth and reconciliation process" that has yet to start.
Speaking before a French Senate committee investigating doping on Thursday, Tygart, the man behind Armstrong's fall, repeated the accusations and said that the UCI was trying to "play a stall game".
In reply to Tygart, the UCI said on Friday that USADA and World Anti-Doping Agency were also to blame for the dismantling of the independent commission.
"It's all very well Mr Tygart talking about cooperation, but let's not forget that the Independent Commission was only disbanded because of USADA's and WADA's point-blank refusal to cooperate with it," the UCI said in a statement.
"Simply, the UCI was left with no choice but to close it down; it made no sense to go forward without the participation of these two bodies."
The Swiss-based body also suggested others had been to blame for the failure to catch Armstrong sooner.
"One can only assume that their refusal to cooperate with the Independent Commission was due to their fear that their own shortcomings would be exposed," the statement said.
"After all, USADA and WADA also tested Armstrong over many years and also failed to catch him. It was only with the benefit of the US Federal Investigation that USADA was finally able to gain evidence of Armstrong's doping."

 

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Sayar leads in Turkey after stunning stage six solo summit win

A brilliant solo ****** from Turk Mustafa Sayar saw him claim victory on stage six's summit finish and move into the lead of the Tour of Turkey.
The Turkish rider rode away from the lead group in the final five kilometres, a steep uphill section, with Turkish fans deliriously running alongside his bike waving flags.
Cofidis duo Yohann Bagot and Nicolas Edet were second and third, 18 and 23 seconds behind Sayar respectively.
Konya Torku Seker Sport rider Sayar was third after stage five but now leads by 41 seconds on GC after the 177km stage from Bodrum to Selçuk - and is the hot favourite to claim overall victory ahead of the two shorter stages which conclude the stage race.
Previous leader Ethiopean Natnael Berhane (Europcar) was 43 seconds off the winner's pace, yet just holds on to second spot overall by three seconds from Bagot.
The first break of the day came after 40km, featuring 14 riders, but many were reeled in by the riders. That left Christian Delle Stelle (Bardiani) and Aldo-Ino Ilesic (UnitedHeatlhCare) out in front: at one point they built a lead of almost 10 minutes.
With neither rider known as a climber, it was a surprise to see them ****** on such a hilly stage. The gap was steadily eaten away until the pair was caught with 30km to go, ahead of two final climbs.
Kevin Peeters (Crelan), Anthony Delaplace (Sojasun) and Rafael Andriato (Vini Fantini) attacked on the penultimate climb but were quickly caught, while Berhane picked up a puncture - the day was littered with them - at the summit.
There were a couple of brief solo attacks after the descent, both of them quickly absorbed. Berhane looked to be in a good position before the start of the final hill: he and Edet went with Sayar as he attacked, but the Turk dropped them both and stayed well clear to take a jaw-dropping win.
Saturday is a 124km undulating stage to Izmir, with a 121km circuit stage around Istanbul finishing matters off on Sunday.

 

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Meersman takes stage three Romandie sprint

Gianni Meersman followed up his stage one Tour of Romandie victory by winning the stage three sprint in Payerne.
The Belgian rider beat Francesco Gavazzi, Michael Albasini, Luca Mesgec and Juan Jose Lobato to the line.
The win sees Meersman move to third in the GC standings behind Chris Froome and Andrew Talansky.
Marcus Burghardt (BMC), Steven Kruijswijk (Blanco), Julien Berard (AG2R), Kevin Reza (Europcar) and Matthias Brändle (IAM) escaped after 30km of the 181km stage that started and finished in the town of Payerne, on the eastern banks of Lake Neuchatel.
They built up a maximum lead of 4:20 over the peloton but their lead was whittled down as they tackled two category two climbs.
And they were caught inside the final 50km ahead of two category three ascents.
There was a series of counter-attacks on the final climb to Chables, 20km from home, but the sprinters' teams limited any break with Adriano Malori caught shortly after the Flamme Rouge by the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step team of Meersman to set up a bunch gallop to the line where the 27-year-old from Tielt claimed his fourth World Tour stage victory of the season.
Meersman said. "The team did a great job today, did a perfect leadout and I'm really happy with my second victory at Tour de Romandie. It maybe looked easy in the final but it was not so easy.
"With two kilometres to go I knew the guys had something left in the tank to catch Malori ahead (Lampre-Merida). Tony Martin took me to the last 600 or 700 meters. It was perfect.
"As for tomorrow, I'm going to help the boys now. Before coming here I had three stages in mind. The first stage I won, then yesterday I was third, and today I won again. So, I am happy."

Stage 3 results:

1. Gianni Meersman (Belgium / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) 4:19:03" 2. Francesco Gavazzi (Italy / Astana) ST 3. Michael Albasini (Switzerland / Orica) 4. Luka Mezgec (Slovenia / Argos) 5. Juan Jose Lobato (Spain / Euskaltel) 6. Danilo Wyss (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 7. Rinaldo Nocentini (Italy / AG2R) 8. Roberto Ferrari (Italy / Lampre) 9. Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (South Africa / Argos) 10. Xavier Florencio (Spain / Katusha)

Road-Tour de Romandie classification after stage 3

1. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 13:53:16" 2. Andrew Talansky (U.S. / Garmin) +6" 3. Gianni Meersman (Belgium / Omega Pharma - Quick-Step) +9" 4. Robert Kiserlovski (Croatia / RadioShack) +13" 5. Richie Porte (Australia / Team Sky) +15" 6. Rui Costa (Portugal / Movistar) +16" 7. Thibaut Pinot (France / FDJ) +17" 8. Stef Clement (Netherlands / Blanco) 9. Alejandro Valverde (Spain / Movistar) 10. Tom Danielson (U.S. / Garmin)

 

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De Greef and Bak to lead Lotto Belisol

The Lotto Belisol team has announced its nine riders for the 96th edition of the Giro d’Italia, which gets under way on May 4 in Napoli, with Jurgen van den Broeck and Lars Bak to lead the team.
Lotto have opted for a collection of potential stage winners, rather than focusing on putting forward a GC contender in the race which runs until May 26 where it finishes in Brescia.
Andre Greipel is not in the team and will take a break after the Tour of Turkey before aiming his sights on the Tour of Belgium, while Van den Broeck will concentrate on the Tour de France.
That leaves Francis De Greef to carry the team’s ambitions for the general classification, having finished 19th overall last year.
Denmark’s Bak prevailed in Sestri Levante last year, and he will target the hilly stages of the Giro, which begins with a flat 130km circuit stage along the seafront.

Lotto Belisol team: Lars Bak, Dirk Bellemakers, Francis De Greef, Kenny Dehaes, Gert Dockx, Adam Hansen, Olivier Kaisen, Tim Wellens and Frederik Willems.